Wilier Triestina have confirmed that they’ll change Lapierre because the Groupama-FDJ bike sponsor in 2024, whereas persevering with to supply bikes to Mark Cavendish’s Astana Qazaqstan staff.
The Italian model will present a ‘particular, devoted livery’ for Groupama-FDJ, with the French WorldTour staff and its growth squad utilizing Filante SLR street bike and the Turbine SLR time trial bike.
As a part of Groupama-FDJ’s lengthy relationship with Shimano, the 2024 bikes are anticipated to be geared up with Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 elements and Shimano wheels.
French model Lapierre revealed to Cyclingnews in late October that it will finish its lengthy standing partnership with Groupama-FDJ.
The choice got here after 22 years of collaboration, one of many longest standing partnerships within the sport. Lapierre will proceed to help the similarly-named FDJ-Suez girls’s staff in 2024.
Lapierre is owned by Accell Group, which controls a number of bike manufacturers. Lapierre reportedly paid €1.5 million to sponsor Groupama-FDJ in addition to provide numerous bikes. Groupama-FDJ and Wilier Triestina didn’t reveal any particulars of their settlement, with Wilier Triestina CEO Andrea Gastaldello solely saying it was a “multi-year technical sponsorship settlement.”
Groupama-FDJ’s change in bike sponsor is the most recent of a number of manoeuvres within the sport and business.
AG2R has changed BMC with Decathlon’s in-house model Van Rysel, with Decathlon additionally turning into a title sponsor. On Tuesday TotalEnergies confirmed that ENVE would change Specialised as their bike sponsor after Peter Sagan left the staff to concentrate on mountain biking in his ultimate season of racing.
Wilier Triestina is the third bike model to sponsor two males’s WorldTour groups in 2024. Canyon sponsors Movistar and Alpecin-Deceuninck, whereas Specialised stay with Bora-Hansgrohe and Soudal Fast-Step.
2024 marks a brand new chapter within the lengthy historical past of the Groupama-FDJ staff. Thibaut Pinot has retired and sprinter Arnaud Démare was allowed to maneuver to Arkéa-B&B Resorts. David Gaudu and Stefan Küng stay as staff leaders, with a swathe of gifted younger riders on the staff’s roster.
“I’m delighted and honoured to announce right now that Wilier Triestina has joined the Groupama-FDJ biking staff household as an official accomplice. That is the beginning of a fantastic journey with a famend Italian firm that has left its mark on the historical past of biking,” Groupama-FDJ staff supervisor Marc Madiot stated.
“The spirit of all our technical partnerships is to develop collectively and use our respective experience to maneuver up the vary, and that is what appealed to us about Wilier Triestina’s method. Collectively, we will write a brand new web page within the Historical past of Groupama-FDJ biking staff and showcase these new machines on the street from the very first day of the 2024 season.”
Gastaldello confirmed Wilier Triestina’s double presence within the males’s WorldTour peloton.
“We’re delighted to announce the beginning of a brand new period for Wilier Triestina. As from 1 January 2024, Groupama-FDJ Biking Staff will likely be racing on our bikes as a part of a brand new multi-year technical sponsorship settlement,” he stated.
“This marks an essential new starting, which comes within the wake of our different World Tour dedication with Astana Qazaqstan since 2020.”
